A variety of connectors are employed in the construction of homes and related structures, such as porches, decks, and the like, to join abutting wooden planks. Many of these wood connectors comprise a series of interconnected planar panels, each of which is positioned relative to its adjoining panels to either receive, overlie, and/or abut a surface of a plank. For example, one variety of joist hanger comprises a short bridging panel, a pair of side panels extending from the ends of the bridging panel and oriented to be perpendicular to the plane defined by the bridging panel, and pair of lateral panels, each of which extends outwardly from and perpendicularly to a longitudinal edge of a respective side panel. In this configuration, the joist hanger supports a T-joint between two planks. The plank having an abutting end (the abutting plank) fits within the cavity formed by the bridging panel and the side panels, with its lower surface contacting the bridging panel and its side surfaces contacting the connector side panels, and the abutting face of the other plank (the abutted plank) contacts the lateral panels. The connector is attached to the planks by nails inserted through apertures in the side and lateral panels.
Other varieties of wood connectors, such as hangers for planks formed of glued laminated wood (known as glulam hangers), strap hangers, truss hangers, I-beam hangers, and the like, are exemplified in Tee-Lok, Inc. Wood Connectors Product Catalog (1995). Each of these wood connectors is configured in such a way that a bridging or connecting panel supports a plank from beneath, side panels attach to respective side surfaces of the plank, and lateral panels attach to a surface of the joined plank on opposite sides of the abutting plank.
Wood connectors are generally packaged for use in cardboard cartons, in which large numbers of connectors are haphazardly and randomly strewn in no particular order. Wood connectors packaged in this manner can be inconvenient in several respects. First, during shipping, the wood connectors can shift relative to one another and intertwine. When a user wishes to grasp a single connector for attachment of two wooden planks, he must first separate the desired connector from any that are temporarily attached thereto by pulling, twisting or shaking the connectors. This task, which often requires the use of both hands, is complicated significantly if the user is situated on a roof or other structure that is positioned at a substantial height above the ground, as the connectors may undesirably fall from that height during disentanglement. Second, a large carton of connectors can be inconvenient to transport to and use on elevated locations on tall structures, particularly if only a few of the connectors are to be used at that location. Third, many wood connectors are formed by punching blanks from a steel sheet, then bending the blanks into the desired shape. The punching operation can create sharp edges on the panels which can easily cut the user if not handled carefully. As such, the likelihood of the user being cut or otherwise injured while disentangling a wood connector can be substantial.
Another difficulty presented by the use of wood connectors relates to identifying the proper wood connector for a particular joint at the construction site. Joints between certain planks, because of their position on a particular structure, may be required by construction code to be connected with a wood connector having at least of a minimum specified thickness, or may be required to be formed of so-called "high yield" steel. However, it is difficult to distinguish connectors of different thickness or material visually. As such, a user of the connectors is confronted with somehow properly identifying each connector as it is removed from its package prior to use and continuing to keep track of the wood connector until it is used.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a wood connector package and an associated method for forming such a package that facilitates rapid and safe handling of wood connectors.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a wood connector package and an associated method for forming such a package that is easily transported and used when the user is positioned well off of the ground.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a wood connector package that enables the user to easily separate one connector from the other connectors contained in the package.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a wood connector package that enables a user to transport and work with several connectors at once.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a wood connector package that enables the user to identify the thickness or material type of a wood connector by rapid visual inspection.